MacBeth

Presented by The Raw Shakespeare Project

About

“Like Two Spent Swimmers, that do Cling Together and Choke Their Art.”

Imagine stripping away all the myths and superstitions, then imagine hearing this story raw, as if you have never heard of it, seen it, or read it before. In this passionate production of MacBeth, The Raw Shakespeare Project bring to life the real story often hidden beneath the legend of The Scottish Play. In the Scotland of many Kings – a 9th Century land of Celts and Vikings - we find the Lord and Lady MacBeth as real people…good people, and a loving couple who make a mistake…a mistake that heralds their tormented downfall and brings an entire country down with them.

This raw, intimate and emotionally charged period production strips back the many layer’s time has added, to simply and powerfully perform Shakespeare’s amazing work.

“What’s done, cannot be undone.”

Cast and Creatives

Isabella Shaw, DirectorIsabella Shaw is a founding member of The Raw Shakespeare Project and has built a reputation as a passionate and talented stage actress with past roles including Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Hero (Much Ado About Nothing), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Orlando (As You Like It). MacBeth will be her first Direction of a full production and we are looking forward to seeing her transfer her on-stage insights to this new role. As a strong character actress herself, her direction will drive the focus on realistic story-telling and, working with talented cast, to develop the depth of characters that sets Shakespeare’s works apart as timeless.

Her VisionOne of the most unique aspects of this production is a very carefully researched and measured depiction of Lady MacBeth that directly challenges the contemporary depiction of her as blood-thirsty and cruel, and is more in-line with pre-Victorian interpretations. That is, of the loving, but strong, wife who missteps in urging her husband to fight his nature to become King by force. Even though there is an argument for active succession-planning in this dangerous and unsettled period of the Dark Ages, this forced breach of nature triggers the decent into madness for MacBeth, leaving his loving wife an increasingly powerless watcher, unable to reverse the damage. By avoiding black and white interpretations of the lead characters we find the power of the story told in shades of these shades of grey.